Based upon a recently completed survey of Museum Studies programs, alumni, and professionals, the panel will discuss: 1) Are Museum Studies programs changing and adapting to the needs of those seeking employment in the field?; 2) What challenges are facing programs such as the disparity between program costs and salaries in the field?; 3) Are the programs focused on skills training or life-long learning? Bring your perspective and join in the conversation.

1. A Critical Eye on
Museum Studies
WMA Annual Meeting
October 23, 2018
Wilson E. O'Donnell, Associate Director
Museology Graduate Program
wilsonod@uw.edu
www.washington.edu/museology/

2.  In support of strategic planning process
 Contracted with Jill Stein (JKS Consulting), Corvallis, OR
 Purpose was to understand where the Museology Graduate
Program (Program) fit within the overall landscape of
museum studies and related fields
 Landscape Study comprised of four sub-studies
• Survey of Museum Studies Programs
• Survey of Museum Professionals
• Survey of Program Alumni
• Survey of Museum Field Leaders
Landscape Study of the Museum Studies/Museology
Field
University of Washington
Museology Graduate Program

3. 1. What does the current landscape of museum studies and
related programs look like in the U.S—goals, purpose,
structure, and curriculum focus—and who is attending
museum studies programs?
2. What is the value of a museum studies degree from
museum employers’ perspectives, and what skill sets and
professional trajectories are graduates with museum
studies’ degrees best positioned for?
3. What do program alumni find to be most useful about
their UW Museology degree, 5-10 years post-graduation?
4. Where do leaders think the museum field is going in the
next decade and/or where should it head?
Key Questions of Landscape Study of the
Museum Studies/Museology Field

4.  Internet and document analysis
Internet research focused on full-time, onsite, graduate
museum studies programs and related fields in the U.S.
 Online survey
Targeted 48 full-time, onsite, graduate degree programs
Survey included quantitative and qualitative measures
Methods
SUBSTUDY REPORT #1:
MUSEUM STUDIES PROGRAMS

5. What does the current landscape of museum studies and
related programs look like in the U.S, in terms of goals,
purpose, structure, and curriculum focus and who is
attending museum studies programs?
SUBSTUDY REPORT #1:
MUSEUM STUDIES PROGRAMS
SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS

6.  Museum studies graduate programs are diverse in
focus and structure
Agreement around key issues facing the museum field:
diversity and inclusion, increasing earning potential and
keeping pace with new technology and media
Agreement around necessary key skills: innovation,
creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration
Little agreement around program curricula: how they are
structured, what knowledge and experiences are
required, and what all museum studies graduates
should walk away with
SUBSTUDY REPORT #1:
MUSEUM STUDIES PROGRAMS
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

7.  Programs were selected for the sample using the American
Alliance of Museums’ online Directory of Museum Studies
and Related Programs
 Criteria for inclusion in the sample included: 1) a primary
focus on Museum Studies; 2) a Masters graduate program;
3) full-time; and 4) on-campus option
 Majority of Museum Studies programs are located at a
university or college within or near to an urban setting
 Online survey was disseminated to a program director or
primary contact
DESCRIPTION OF SAMPLES
SUBSTUDY REPORT #1:
MUSEUM STUDIES PROGRAMS
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

8.  Most common theme to emerge was around balancing theory
and practice, being multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary and
focusing on change and future possibilities
 Data suggests a wide variety of approaches and interpretations
around what a museum studies graduate degree should look
like
 Definition of student success includes
 Graduates will become critical, reflective thinkers
 Graduates will be actively engaged in communities and ideas
 Graduates will find successful and personally satisfying
careers
PROGRAM GOALS AND PURPOSE
SUBSTUDY REPORT #1:
MUSEUM STUDIES PROGRAMS
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

9.  Wide variance in how museum studies graduate
programs and curricula are structured
PROGRAM STRUCTURE AND CURRICULUM
SUBSTUDY REPORT #1:
MUSEUM STUDIES PROGRAMS
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

10.  What programs see as
the main content
areas necessary for a
graduate program in
museum studies
 Data suggests a lack
of agreement around
what content areas
are most important to
include in a graduate
degree in museum
studies
SUBSTUDY
REPORT #1

11.  Data suggests that interest in applying to museum
programs may not be growing
 Data suggests the student body of museum studies
programs are not ethnically/culturally diverse
 Data indicated that some efforts are being made by programs to
increase the diversity of their student body
 The average number of students currently enrolled in
programs across all years is 34, with a minimum of 13 and
maximum of 115, suggesting a wide range of program sizes
 Majority of students come from Humanities (about 51%) or
Social Sciences (about 26%)
STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS AND ENROLLMENT
TRENDS
SUBSTUDY REPORT #1:
MUSEUM STUDIES PROGRAMS
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

12.  Critical issues affecting the future
 Imbalances between the cost of programs and earning potential
 Lack of ethnic/cultural diversity in programs and in field
 Uncertainty regarding the role/value of Museum Studies degree in
the development of professional practice
 Concerns about whether there are enough museum jobs
 Ability to respond to a shifting and evolving museum landscape
 Critical skills affecting the future
 Critical analysis and collaboration
 Critical issues for the museum field were closely aligned
with those articulated for the future of museum studies
programs
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
SUBSTUDY REPORT #1:
MUSEUM STUDIES PROGRAMS
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

13.  Data suggests field at a critical juncture in its development
 Need for innovative, critical thinking to move field forward and
tackle some challenging issues
 Need to increase the diversity of students going into the museum
field
 Need to create work cultures and visitor experiences that are
inclusive
 Need to address cost of graduate school coupled with low earning
potential
 Museum programs would like to see themselves at the
forefront of transforming the museum field as a whole,
leading innovative and creative approaches, and rethinking
the role of museums in society at large
SUBSTUDY REPORT #1:
MUSEUM STUDIES PROGRAMS
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

14. Online survey
Disseminated through multiple regional
and professional museum associations
including Western Museums Association
Disseminated through directors of
museums that had hired a UW graduate
within the past 10 years
Sample: n=93
Methods
SUBSTUDY REPORT #2:
MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS

15.  Museum studies graduate degrees seen as moderately valuable
 Practical job experience considered more important than the
specific type of degree
 Broad 21st century skills (problem solving, collaborating, critical
thinking), practical hands-on experience, and content-specific
knowledge seen as essential
 Finances, development, and fundraising considered critical skills
for future, as well as ability to engage new audiences and
communicate relevance
 Museum size and budget play role in perceived value of museum
studies degree
What is the value of a museum studies degree from museum employers’
perspectives, and what skill sets and professional trajectories are graduates
with museum studies’ degrees best positioned for?
SUBSTUDY REPORT #2:
MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS
SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS

16. SUBSTUDY REPORT #2:
MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS
Types of MuseumsRole of Respondents

17. VALUE OF A MUSEUM STUDIES GRADUATE
DEGREE
SUBSTUDY REPORT #2:
MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

18.  Online survey
Disseminated to alumni of the UW
Museology program from years 2003-2013
Disseminated to a total of 159 alumni
Sample: n=63
METHODS
SUBSTUDY REPORT #3:
ALUMNI RESPONSES

19.  Value degree and apply knowledge and skills learned in the
program to current job, but not convinced it was worth the
investment
 Practical, hands-on job experience prepares emerging
professionals better than academic degree
 Program strong in a couple of key areas that are seen as
important for success in the museum field
 Some misalignment between the skills and knowledge
gained through the Program and what alumni (as well as
museum employers) feel are most important in today’s
field
What do program alumni find to be most useful about their UW
Museology degree, 5-10 years post-graduation
SUBSTUDY REPORT #3:
ALUMNI RESPONSES
SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS

20.  Critical of the disparities between the
financial investment to get the degree (e.g.
taking out extensive student loans) and the
low earning potential in the museum field as
a whole
 Critical of disparities between the number of
qualified candidates with master’s degrees
in Museum Studies compared to number of
jobs available on the market
SUBSTUDY REPORT #3:
ALUMNI RESPONSES
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

21. Of the responses
received, alumni from
2006 – 2013 were
represented fairly
evenly across the
sample, with the
exception of 2006
being poorly
represented (4%) and
2013 being highly
represented (19%).
RESULTS
SUBSTUDY REPORT #3:
ALUMNI RESPONSES
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

22. VALUE OF THE UW MUSEUM STUDIES
DEGREE
SUBSTUDY REPORT #3:
ALUMNI RESPONSES
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

23. SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE AREAS GAINED
SUBSTUDY REPORT #3:
ALUMNI RESPONSES
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

24. > Method will be discussions within focus groups
made up of museum experts and thought leaders
> A final report will look across all four studies to
synthesize findings and articulate implications for
the UW Museology Program to inform our strategic
planning process
Where do leaders think the museum field is going in the next
decade? What are strengths, opportunities, and potential threats
or challenges? Where is the field headed and/or where should it
head?
SUBSTUDY REPORT #3:
FUTURE PATHWAYS STUDY
TBD